The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry

O’Fallon

A fast-growing pet care manufacturing firm with roots in western St. Charles County plans to break ground this spring on a 200,000-square-foot, $25.7 million global headquarters in O’Fallon.

Wentzville-based Cosmos Corporation employs more than 100 people and anticipates creating at least 60 more full-time jobs over the next several years, according to Amanda Roessler, office administrator for TropiClean Pet Products, one of Cosmos’ well-known pet care brands.

Founded by the Kassebaum family as a beauty products distributor in 1980, Cosmos entered the pet grooming industry five years later. Its roots have been in Missouri for 30 years. The company didn’t have the space to grow at its existing site in Wentzville, so it searched for another viable site within the same labor market. Cosmos found the ideal spot in O’Fallon, according to City of O’Fallon Economic Development Director Patrick McKeehan. The location is 521 Pearl Drive on the northeast side of O’Fallon near the MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. plant off Missouri Highway 79.

“This is a project we’ve been working on for almost one year,” said McKeehan, adding that the Missouri Dept. of Economic Development and the City of O’Fallon are supporting the company’s growth via the state’s Missouri Works Program and local Chapter 100 bonding authority.

“Cosmos’ opportunities in overseas markets are growing quickly,” McKeehan said. “This industry leader needed to grow its workforce and production capacity to keep pace with demand. Cosmos’ brands and its more than 150 products are available at nearly all major retailers. They are also supplying products to more than 65 countries.”

The family-owned business operates a separate foundation, Gifts of Love, with the mission of giving back and improving lives in the process. Gifts of Love’s headquarters will also operate in the future building that Cosmos will call its corporate home. Cosmos CEO Landon Hobson said a significant portion of TropiClean’s revenue goes directly to Gifts of Love to support the poor, widowed, orphaned and needy.

“We are very excited to continue our growth here in Missouri at our new O’Fallon headquarters,” said Hobson. “We appreciate the excellent business climate and workforce that the state and St. Louis area has to offer and look forward to bringing even more jobs to the region.”

Cosmos expects to move into its future O’Fallon headquarters in early 2020.

Although their populations are markedly different, O’Fallon, MO and Edwardsville, IL are benefitting from similar new construction developments and are governed by municipalities with similar visions and priorities.

Patrick McKeehan, O’Fallon’s economic development director, says the city of 87,800 population has experienced solid growth in 2017 and early 2018. For example, True Manufacturing is building a 200,000-square-foot distribution center on the north side of Interstate 70 that is expected to reach completion within the next few weeks.

“Summit Development Group is the developer and Contegra Construction Co. is the general contractor,” said McKeehan. “True Manufacturing is consolidating space from some smaller off-site warehouses to generate greater efficiencies on its campus in terms of production, finished goods and shipping.”

A $13 million I-70 outer road project is expanding capacity along O’Fallon’s primary transportation corridor to improve traffic flow and encourage new commercial activity, according to McKeehan. “Bids just opened on this critical transportation project,” he said, “which also involves MoDOT and St. Charles County. I-70 was originally built in the late 1950s. O’Fallon’s exponential growth has increased demand on the road system.”

By the end of June, the first phase of a $25 million sports destination project known as Missouri Rush Sports Park will be completed. Cornerstone Contracting Services is the general contractor and 40DD Sports is the developer. McKeehan says the initial phase includes four all-weather soccer fields and a clubhouse with restaurant. The sports complex is strategically located at Highway DD and I-64.

With a population of roughly one-third that of O’Fallon, MO, Edwardsville is enjoying a similar resurgence in commercial development across multiple sectors. Walter Williams, Edwardsville’s director of economic/community development, says World Wide Technology’s latest announcement that it is breaking ground on twin Gateway Commerce Center warehouses – each spanning one million square feet – is tangible evidence of serious investment in what Edwardsville has to offer companies. The builder has not yet been announced.

“Edwardsville’s continued success is attributable to our ability to attract investors and job creators,” said Williams.

Both McKeehan and Williams see parallels in the types of development that the two cities are attracting. O’Fallon, MO and Edwardsville are enjoying bustling hospitality development, sports destination development and warehouse-distribution investment. Like O’Fallon, the $12 million, 70-acre Plummer Family Sports Park near I-55, named for Edwardsville builder/developer Robert L. Plummer, is in the development stage.

Just as Edwardsville is known for high-tech manufacturing and distribution with its two advanced logistics parks, O’Fallon, MO is home to a large financial services cluster anchored by CitiMortgage and MasterCard’s global operations and technology center. According to McKeehan, O’Fallon has more than 6,000 employees in the industry sector.

“There are many commonalities between Edwardsville, IL and O’Fallon, MO, including highway access, strong geographic position, affordable housing, family oriented amenities, and with forward-thinking local government,” McKeehan said. “I think these commonalities all contribute to economic success.”

McKeehan emphasizes that the plusses inherent in the two municipalities that are attracting local, regional and national investment these days can also be found in other neighboring cities within the St. Louis MSA.

“St. Peters, MO has similar qualities as Edwardsville and O’Fallon,” said McKeehan, noting that the neighboring community was Amazon’s choice to build a 1,500-employee, 800,000-square-foot fulfillment center in the Premier 370 Business Park. This new operation is similar to the one in Edwardsville and is Amazon’s first fulfillment center in Missouri.

O’Fallon-Shiloh, IL is another investment-friendly community, according to McKeehan.

“I see O’Fallon-Shiloh in a similar position of strength,” he said. “All of these communities are centered on key transportation corridors that enable each to attract large commercial and industrial development.”

McCarthy Building Companies and the City of O’Fallon celebrated on Saturday, December 2, the grand opening of the new City of O’Fallon Justice Center that includes the O’Fallon Police Department and Municipal Courts.

The new $26 million Justice Center features more than 96,000 sq. ft. of space and includes state-of-the-art technology and training spaces, an underground garage and sally port and ample space for expansion as the City of O’Fallon grows over the next 30 years. The building was paid for by bonds from a property tax increase supported by more than 60 percent of O’Fallon voters.

“This building is truly a testament to how much our residents and businesses value public safety,” said Mayor Bill Hennessy. “As our Police Department outgrew its previous home in City Hall, we knew we had to ask our residents to fund the construction of a new facility through a tax increase. We are so grateful for their overwhelming support of this project, and I cannot wait for our residents to see this great new facility. The O’Fallon Police Department has proven year after year to be one of the best departments in the country. Now, they have a home that also is among the nation’s best.”

Special features include a seven-stall indoor firing range and a firearms training simulator, a state-of-the-art training tool that supports marksmanship and judgmental training needs of law enforcement personnel and is one of the first in the area to be 300-degree surround. The project also includes 15 holding cells with separate cells for men and women, as well as two ADA accessible cells and one large group holding cell.

Lecture and presentation spaces feature a 70-seat tiered training room, a mechanical and emergency power system to serve the building, a 911 center, CSI lab space, offices, evidence storage room and a courtroom. The building will also contain a FEMA-rated storm shelter. Specially designed duty lockers provide maximum security for storage of the specialized equipment police officers carry while providing ventilation for body armor.

“McCarthy was honored to collaborate with the City of O’Fallon on this important project,” said Ryan Freeman vice president of operations at McCarthy. “As a national leader in justice projects and a local leader in construction, we understand the challenges facing municipalities and local governments. Our construction management approach delivered significant cost savings due to proactive preconstruction and construction planning, ongoing open communication with city officials, and careful review of detailed subcontractor specs and cost estimates.”

Cost savings enabled the police department to build out nearly 9,000 sq. ft. of additional space on the second floor for future expansion to meet the anticipated growth of the community. By building this additional space concurrently with the scheduled construction, the city will save time and money, as well as reduce disruption to ongoing operations when the space is customized to accommodate a future use. Cost savings also enabled the City of O’Fallon to upgrade the facility to include better finishes, ceramic tile, carpet and vinyl wall covering, as well as additional outdoor space, a breakroom for employees and an outdoor canine training space.

With a strong reputation as a community where residents can truly live, work and play, O’Fallon, Mo., is the seventh-largest city in the State of Missouri and the second-largest city in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area.

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is the oldest privately held national construction company in the country – with more than 150 years spent collaborating with partners to solve complex building challenges on behalf of its clients.

Tentatively called The Streets of Caledonia, this $400 million commercial development will encompass 260 acres in O’Fallon at Highway 64/40 and Route DD, next to the future 55-acre O’Day Park to open next year. With nearly 4,000 feet of highway frontage, the project will have approximately 25 acres of neighborhood retail and approximately 80 acres of mixed-use office space such as office, medical, hospitality, and senior housing.

“Retailers and commercial tenants are looking for populated areas with an existing pool of customers,” said Ken Kruse, President. “Payne has built beautiful neighborhoods for ten years now, full of people who want convenient access to work, grocery, shopping, and other amenities. Bringing commercial into our portfolio makes sense as commercial and homes go hand-in-hand.”

Plans for The Streets of Caledonia include an anchor grocery store with surrounding neighborhood retail, gas convenience store, a pharmacy, an urgent care center, an independent living facility, high-end multi-family housing, and more. Payne is working with the City of O’Fallon to increase road access and improve traffic flow in the area, in anticipation of greater traffic volumes. The current interchange at Winghaven Boulevard and I-64/40 is similar in size to the existing Boone Crossing interchange in Chesterfield Valley, which is able to smoothly move considerable traffic volume.

About 400 homes from every Payne portfolio price point will surround the shopping on the west and south side of the project, as site challenges will only allow residential on those sides.

“We are extremely optimistic about the potential for this development in the heart of our high-tech district,” said O’Fallon Mayor Bill Hennessy. “With the proximity to businesses like MasterCard and Citi as well as the tremendous access to the I-64 corridor, we’ve long believed that this property could host a transformational development on O’Fallon’s south side. Knowing the strength of the partners we have on board, our City is confident that this mixed-use development will be of the highest quality and provide a new anchor for the entire region.”

Payne plans to break ground in 2018. This project should take at least five years to develop and should exceed $400 million in value.

O’Fallon is set to begin construction on O’Day Park next month, with plans calling for an activity and conference center, a camping area, trails, an amphitheater, and an adventure playground area. The Streets of Caledonia will also be adjacent to the under-construction Caledonia Soccer Park, Regal O’Fallon Stadium 14 movie theater, and the August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area.

25 acres of retail space is listed with commercial real estate broker NAI DESCO and 60 acres of mixed use space along the highway is listed with Gershman Commercial.

About Payne Family Homes

Established as one of the Payne Family of companies in 2007, Payne Family Homes has quickly risen to be the St. Louis metro region’s fastest-growing homebuilder and recently was named one of the area’s fastest-growing companies by the St. Louis Business Journal. With communities in some of the most desirable areas of St. Louis, St. Charles, and Jefferson counties, Payne Family Homes builds memorable estate homes, villas, and single-family homes in nearly every price range. For more information, visit PayneFamilyHomes.com or call (314) 477-1218.

Byrne & Jones Sports Delivers Artificial Surface Fields in Less Than 90 Days

The O’Fallon Family Sports Park has scored big time with a cooperative purchasing agreement that has delivered seven new soccer fields in less than 90 days while saving $1 million. Rather than put the project out to bid, the city tapped the National Joint Power Alliance (NJPA) to complete all of its product and service purchasing. The turnkey project for the artificial turf field was procured through NJPA vendor Shaw Sports Turf, based in Calhoun, Ga. St. Louis-based Byrne & Jones Sports performed the work transforming the sports complex’s natural turf fields to synthetic turf.

Cooperative purchase agreements allow cities, schools and governmental entities to more efficiently procure products and services through vendors that have been thoroughly vetted and priced by a cooperative purchasing entity. The purchasing consortium becomes the lead agency in bidding and awarding contracts for its members who can select turnkey contracts that have already been competitively bid. It saves time and money because there is one procurement process rather than many.

Staples, Minn-based NJPA leverages the national purchasing power of more than 50,000 member agencies while also streamlining the required purchasing process. In the case of O’Fallon, it established a guaranteed maximum price of $4.5 million for the seven new fields, including installation. The city originally projected the cost to be $5.5 million to put the bid out themselves, including the product and warranty, engineering and the certified builder to perform site preparation and installation.

“We wanted to ensure taxpayer money on the sports complex renovations was spent wisely,” said Mary Jeanne Hutchison, director of O’Fallon Parks and Recreation. “NJPA gave us a complete package that had been thoroughly researched and priced. In the end, we got the product we wanted for the right price and were able to strea

Holland Construction Services, Inc. (Holland) will begin work in March on an expansion project for New Life in Christ Interdenominational Church in O’Fallon, Illinois. This expansion will provide much needed space as the congregation continues to grow.

The $3.8 million dollar project involves the expansion and renovation to the church’s sanctuary. This will increase seating capacity to 1,100 from the current 450. The expansion also includes a new west entrance and a large gathering area in the two-story open narthex, café and bookstore. An elevator is also being added to access the second floor and expanded sanctuary balcony. The second floor will provide additional office and more gathering spaces overlooking the narthex below. In addition to the building expansion, the project will also provide additional parking and a circular drop-off drive at the new west entrance.

“Over two thousand members of New Life in Christ Church in O’Fallon are so excited to partner with Holland to complete their long awaited sanctuary expansion,” said Senior Pastor Bishop Geoffrey V Dudley, Sr, D.Min. “Bruce and his team have embraced our vision with grace, integrity and professionalism…they are making it a reality.”

This is the second project Holland has completed for New Life in Christ Church. The first was in 2011 which also involved an expansion.

HCO, Inc. out of Indianapolis, Indiana is the architect on the project. Completion is set for this summer.

Holland Construction Services is a full-service construction management, general contracting, and design/build firm based in Swansea, IL.

Student Athletes at McKendree University, Southern Illinois IceHawks youth hockey organization and the general public now have a new recreation center to call home in O’Fallon, IL. The McKendree Metro Rec Plex recently opened to the McKendree University men’s & women’s hockey teams, giving them a new facility to call “home ice”.

Soon the school’s swimming, diving, and water polo teams will likewise be calling the recreation center home in their Olympic and NCAA Championship caliber natatorium. In total, the 160,000 square foot facility features two NHL-sized ice rinks, an aquatic center fit with a 10 lane championship swimming pool, a separate recreational pool, a contemporary fitness area including a half court gym, elevated walking track, free weights, cardio equipment, and many other amenities such as party room and conference facilities. With more than two years of planning and design for the facility, the McKendree Metro Rec Plex will anchor the larger development on the 45 acre site known as The Four Points Center consisting of retail, hospitality, and professional office space.

Guarantee Electrical Company was instrumental in value engineering and identifying cost saving opportunities on the original electrical design. This allowed the developer to recognize substantial savings towards the overall cost of the project. For its part, GECO was the turnkey electrical contractor on the project providing all site civil electrical work, including rough-in for Ameren’s underground utility distribution and site lighting throughout the development; the electrical construction contractor on the building responsible for installing new switchgear, both normal and emergency power, providing a combined 5000 amp 480 volt service to the building through two incoming services; and the systems electrical contractor providing all fire alarm and control wiring for the Cimco ice equipment. The entire facility comprises energy efficient LED lighting and lighting controls throughout.

This project is very important to not only O’Fallon, IL but the surrounding communities and region for several reasons. In addition to providing a new home for both youth and collegiate organizations, the public ice rink fills a void left from the indefinite closing of a Fairview Heights Ice Rink in 2012 and also provides a new fitness center for the general public including personal trainers, daycare and much more.